Post Picks: Talking about mental health

In today’s special edition of Post Picks, we provide a guide to the National Post’s coverage of mental health awareness, to mark Bell’s Let’s Talk Day.

How depression kept one good man down
Opinion editor Jonathan Kay tells a story of a reader who emailed him to share some insight on his own mental health issues, later becoming good friends. http://natpo.st/i8qnVp

First person: Chantal Kreviazuk
Canadian musical legend Chantal Kreviazuk talks about her family’s struggle with mental illness, and how they came together to support one of her loved ones. “This is the time for us to stop disregarding the pink elephant in the room,” she says. “We need to become cognizant about it and talk about it” http://natpo.st/eBbnwP

Clara Hughes’ smile hid a dark and lonely place
As the face of Bell’s Let’s Talk Day, a national mental health campaign on Feb. 9, Olympian Clara Hughes knows about the struggle of mental illness. Joe O’Connor spoke with the speedskating champion about hitting rock bottom. http://natpo.st/h6wgAm

Mental illness in teens challenges educators
Redirection through Education is North America’s longest-running supported education program — and a first for Canada. Find out how the program at Toronto’s George Brown College is helping students work through their problems. http://natpo.st/ihHAWZ

Today’s Letters: Mental health took my son
Readers respond to Joe O’Connor’s profile of Clara Hughes with their own stories of mental illness. http://natpo.st/fmRFgz

First Person: D-Sisive
Known as D-Sisive, the rapper Derek Christoff has made a career out of turning his personal life into music, becoming one of the most acclaimed underground musicians in Canada’s hip hop music scene. He talks to Ben Kaplan about how his bout with depression influenced his music. http://natpo.st/fq8c0t